"Is there a strategist inside?"
Zhong Li swept a glance over the meditation room, her surprise deepening.
Wu Hui glanced at the woman pacing in the cloister not far away and said to Zhong Li, "Little benefactor, did you see that woman?"
Zhong Li followed his gaze towards the distance.
She saw a woman in a plain silk dress standing not far away, her brow furrowed, her steps hesitant and anxious, appearing to be waiting for someone.
"She is Madam Zhao, the strategist's wife," Wu Hui explained.
Zhong Li raised an eyebrow. This Master Zhao had come with his family, which suggested he had something important to discuss with Master Liao Chen.
"In that case, it would be inconvenient to disturb Master Liao Chen," Zhong Li bowed to Wu Hui and turned towards the direction of the Great Hall.
In fact, it wasn't Zhong Li's first time visiting Ling Shan Temple. She remembered accompanying Gai Chen here more than four years ago. However, she had been occupied then, and Ling Shan was merely a stopover. Coupled with a minor incident, she hadn't truly explored. Now that she had rare free time, the Great Hall was a place she had to visit.
If she remembered correctly, there used to be fortune-telling and lot-drawing outside the Great Hall. She saw it was indeed there today, though there were more people than usual.
Zhong Li stood in line with the crowd. Fortunately, it was a cloudy day. Otherwise, with the recent sun, a large number of heat-stroked pilgrims might have been lying outside the hall.
As she slowly moved forward, counting the swaying figures ahead, the group at the very front suddenly let out gasps of surprise.
"Ah! How could this happen?"
"Heavens, Buddha, Buddha is weeping, and it's... it's bloody tears!"
"No way, what omen is this? Is something going to happen?"
"So scary!"
......
Zhong Li followed the sound and looked forward, but there were too many people. Moreover, due to what others were saying, most people couldn't help but push forward out of curiosity. Before she could react, she was pushed forward.
"Don't push, don't push!"
Zhong Li was jostled out of the line. Fortunately, she had martial arts skills, so she stood relatively straight and steady. However, many women around her were different. They were like wheat swaying in the wind, toppling over as the crowd surged. Some, out of fear, even cried out warnings.
"Look, it's real. Buddha is really weeping."
"And it's bloody tears. Everyone, come and see."
The crowd had only just stabilized when many people who had reached the front again shouted such things.
Almost simultaneously, the people standing outside the Great Hall fell into complete chaos. Some were terrified, but more were curious. Especially those who arrived later, with the mentality of not leaving until they witnessed this miraculous scene, they rushed forward.
"Ah!" Someone in the crowd let out a scream, and at the same time, the surging crowd, like withered trees swaying in the wind, lunged towards the ground.
Zhong Li was in the center of the crush. She watched the wave of people rushing towards her, wanting to break free, but finding no escape route around her.
Just as she thought she would inevitably fall, or even become a 'victim' of this sudden incident, her ear felt a warmth, and a voice came, "Come here."
Zhong Li was stunned. By the time she reacted, she had already been pulled out of the crowd and was flying directly towards a Bodhi tree outside the Great Hall.
"Are you alright?" Zhong Li was placed on a branch as thick as a man's thigh. Lu Wuxie's voice asked beside her.
She turned to look at Lu Wuxie, noticing his clothes were slightly disheveled, his sash loosely hanging, a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead, and a subtle scent of soap. She guessed he might have just bathed in the washing room.
"Why are you here?" she asked, surprised by his timely appearance.
Lu Wuxie's chest heaved slightly more noticeably. He wiped his forehead and said, "I had just agreed with Wu Hui, Master Liao Chen's eldest son, that the master would chant scriptures for my mother in an hour. I took this time to bathe and cleanse myself so I could later carry my mother's memorial tablet. But as soon as I got into the water, Lin Jin told me something had happened outside. I rushed out and found you weren't in the dormitory. I came here to find you, and fortunately, there was a Bodhi tree here, allowing me to locate you quickly. Otherwise..."
He paused, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "If you died, what would I do?"
Zhong Li had intended to thank Lu Wuxie, but all her words were swallowed back.
"Ah! Help... help!"
Just as she was about to look at the Buddha statue mentioned by the pilgrims inside the Great Hall, someone in the crowd where she had just stood suddenly cried out.
Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie looked in the same direction. Tian Lianxue was standing there, her body swaying with the crowd, nearly falling several times but narrowly avoiding it.
Why was she there?
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, filled with questions. If she remembered correctly, after everyone entered Ling Shan Temple and was assigned dormitories early in the morning, Tian Lianxue was the first to offer incense and pay respects to ancestors. She should now be at the cemetery north of Suqing County with the prayer items. How could she be here?
Lu Wuxie also noticed the problem, but he didn't seem surprised. He called out, "Lin Jin." At the same time, Tian Lianxue was rescued from the crowd and brought to a safe open space.
At this moment, the Great Hall was completely surrounded, and shouts and exclamations blended into a cacophony. The Buddha hall of Ling Shan Temple was in utter disarray.
Zhong Li raised her eyes again to look at the Buddha statue not far away. Indeed, as the people in front had described, there was a tear under the eyes of the Sakyamuni Buddha statue, which was four or five zhang tall, and that tear was a blood-red color.
Lu Wuxie, standing beside her, also saw the situation in the main hall. He seemed to recall something, and his expression suddenly turned serious.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
As the surging crowd reached its limit, the bell of Ling Shan Temple rang, and the entire temple began to tremble slightly with the sound.
Everyone stopped their steps and their pushing actions, looking towards the source of the sound.
"Everyone, quiet down." At the same time, an old man with white hair appeared in the Great Hall.
Zhong Li regained her senses and looked at the person in the hall. Wearing a red kasaya and holding prayer beads, she knew without guessing that this must be Liao Chen.
"An unexpected incident has occurred at Ling Shan Temple today, and the temple will be closed for one day. Pilgrims who have not yet offered incense are requested to return tomorrow. Those who have offered incense are requested to leave quietly." Liao Chen spoke gently, yet with an invisible power.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the pilgrims were stunned at first, then seemed to understand something and began to leave one by one. Those who arrived late and wanted to join the excitement could only crane their necks to steal a glance. When they saw nothing, they left in disappointment.
Zhong Li watched as the number of people in Ling Shan Temple dwindled, and suddenly remembered a saying: The Buddhist gate is a place of purity.
When the last group of pilgrims left Ling Shan Temple, Lu Wuxie led Zhong Li to Master Liao Chen.
"Master," Lu Wuxie bowed.
Liao Chen likely knew Lu Wuxie. When he saw him on the Bodhi tree, his face was already smiling. Now, he stepped forward a few paces and returned the bow, saying, "Amitabha, did the young lord see what happened today?"
Lu Wuxie nodded.
Liao Chen seemed a bit troubled, his brow furrowed. "I may not be able to chant scriptures for the young lord today. Shall we make it tomorrow?"
Lu Wuxie said, "Mo Cang's matters are trivial compared to the common people. Master should do as you deem fit."
Hearing this, Liao Chen's lips curled, acknowledging Lu Wuxie's words.
Afterward, he glanced at the Buddha statue behind him and sighed, saying, "I hope the young lord will keep this matter a secret for Ling Shan. As for the pilgrims, this old monk has his ways."
"Naturally," Lu Wuxie replied without hesitation.
Liao Chen received a positive answer and showed relief. "Then I shall attend to my duties. Young lord, please understand."
With that, Liao Chen made a gesture, clearly indicating that Lu Wuxie and Zhong Li should leave the main hall.
Lu Wuxie bowed again and led Zhong Li out of the Great Hall.
At this moment, Tian Lianxue, believing she had been frightened, was led back to the dormitory by Lin Jin. The courtyard outside the door was empty. Only the faint sound of sweeping attracted Zhong Li's attention.
She followed the sound and saw a long-bearded old man in a worn monk's robe, holding a broom and shaking his head as he swept, saying, "Calamity, calamity."